Minimum wages in Chartered Accountant offices set with CPI linked dearness allowance and service weightage protections.
Government notification fixes minimum rates of wages for employees in Chartered Accountant Offices in Kerala under the Minimum Wages Act, prescribing a schedule of monthly basic wages by category, a Dearness Allowance formula linked to the Consumer Price Index, service weightage for employees with specified continuous service subject to a cap, protection where existing wages exceed the prescribed minima, and application of equivalent-post basic wages for unlisted categories.

Common Adjudicating Authority designation assigns multiple show cause notices to a designated Commissioner for adjudication.
The Board assigns specified show cause notices issued by various customs authorities to the Commissioner of Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax, Noida for adjudication, listing each notice, its originating authority, and the party concerned, thereby centralizing adjudicatory responsibility and directing affected offices to route further proceedings to the designated Commissioner.

Assignment of adjudication: Show Cause Notice transferred to designated Customs Commissioner for adjudication under Customs Act.
A Show Cause Notice issued by a revenue intelligence division is assigned to the Commissioner of Customs at the Inland Container Depot, Tughlakabad for adjudication under the Customs Act, with the Board exercising powers under the enabling customs notification to transfer adjudicatory responsibility.

Anti-dumping duty on Sodium Formaldehyde Sulphoxylate imports from China continues following sunset review, sustaining protective tariff measures.
Imposes anti-dumping duty on Sodium Formaldehyde Sulphoxylate (SFS) from the People's Republic of China following a sunset review under section 9A and the Anti Dumping Rules, with producer and exporter specific duty rates expressed in US dollars per metric tonne, payable in Indian currency using the exchange rate determined under the Customs Act, and remaining in force for five years unless earlier changed.

Import threshold increased for certain worked stone items; free import now requires a higher CIF per square metre.
The notification amends Schedule 1 (Imports) for Exim Codes 6802 10 00, 6802 21 10, 6802 21 20, 6802 21 90, 6802 91 00 and 6802 92 00 to permit import freely only where the CIF value per square metre meets the newly prescribed minimum, replacing the earlier lower CIF threshold in the ITC (HS) Classification of Export and Import Items.

Import licensing conditions for rough marble blocks impose eligibility criteria, floor price endorsement and an annual import quota.
Imports of rough marble blocks for 2011-12 are regulated by an amended Import Licensing Note and conditional allocation: eligible units must own an installed marble gangsaw (not leased), have operated for five years, and show a cumulative Rs. 5 crore turnover in processed slabs/tiles for 2005-06 to 2009-10. Licenses carry an endorsed floor price, are subject to an overall annual ceiling and per-unit caps, an actual user condition, monthly reporting, prescribed documentary proof, and penalties for misrepresentation.

Registration Certificate for export of cotton requires bank guarantee, prescribed payment proof and strict export validity and reporting obligations.
Export of cotton (ITC HS 5201 & 5203) requires a Registration Certificate from designated Regional Authorities, subject to non inclusion on the Denied Entities List, submission of a prescribed performance Bank Guarantee and specified proof of payment (LC or advance payment/FIRC or partial advance with CAD), and accompanying IEC copy. The RC carries a short export completion validity; failure to export the full quantity within that period (subject to limited tolerance) leads to forfeiture of the Bank Guarantee, debarment from future RCs and initiation of penal action. Holders must send immediate consignment reports on LEO and a consolidated shipping report thereafter.

Contract registration for cotton exports required before shipment; customs clearance conditional on DGFT registration verification.
Contracts for export of cotton [ITC (HS) Code 5201 & 5203] must be registered with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade prior to shipment, and customs shall clear consignments only after verifying such registration. The export cap on these cotton codes has been removed while the registration requirement remains; a separate procedure for obtaining the Registration Certificate will be notified. There is no change in the registration procedure for cotton waste [ITC (HS) Code 5202].

Customs notification amendment updates column entries to list filter rod and filter cigarette as pharmaceutical products.
The Central Government amends the principal non tariff customs notification by substituting the column (4) entries for S.No.1 and S.No.2: S.No.1 is revised to describe the item as a filter rod classified as a pharmaceutical product, and S.No.2 is revised to describe the item as a filter cigarette classified as a pharmaceutical product.

Rules of origin determine eligibility for preferential tariff treatment under the India-Japan CEP Agreement based on QVC or product rules.
Establishes that goods imported between India and Japan qualify as originating and eligible for preferential tariff treatment if they are wholly obtained in a Party or, if not wholly obtained, meet a qualifying value content threshold or applicable product specific rules; sets definitions, QVC calculation methods using accepted accounting principles, valuation rules for materials, accumulation, de minimis allowances, consignment criteria, non qualifying operations, and detailed product specific origin requirements, and prescribes Certificate of Origin issuance, validity, record keeping, verification and administrative cooperation procedures.

Rescission of SEZ notification ends the sector specific IT zone designation after approved denotification, subject to prior acts.
The Central Government rescinds the prior notification designating a sector specific Special Economic Zone for information technology at Village Panda, Indore, following the developer's proposal and governmental approval of denotification; the rescission is exercised under the proviso to the relevant SEZ rule and preserves the effect of acts done or omitted before rescission.

Customs duty exemption for Japanese-origin imports applies to listed goods subject to proof of origin and specified rates.
Customs duty exemption is granted for goods imported into India from Japan that fall within the specified chapters, headings, sub-headings and tariff items listed in the Table, to the extent that the duty otherwise leviable exceeds the rate shown in the corresponding entry. The benefit is conditional on the importer proving to the satisfaction of the Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner of Customs that the goods are of Japanese origin in accordance with the notified rules. The Table prescribes item-specific rates, which are generally nil for the listed goods, while certain entries carry specified rates for particular goods within the coverage.

Preferential rates of duty extended to imports from Cambodia, adding it to the notified beneficiary countries under the customs notification.
Imports from Cambodia are added to the list of countries eligible for Preferential rates of duty by inserting Cambodia as serial number 9 in Appendix I of Notification No. 46/2011 Customs; the amendment is effected by Notification No. 68/2011 Customs and takes effect from 1st August, 2011.

Tariff value fixation for specified edible oils and brass scrap updated, substituting the previous customs schedule.
Amendment to the Customs non-tariff notification substitutes a new Table fixing tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified goods, listing tariff-item headings and commodity descriptions for various palm oil and palmolein categories, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap (all grades), and poppy seeds, and noting retention of prior values for certain edible-oil entries.

Tax exemption for technical services removes specified consultancy fees from taxable total income when tied to national security services.
Any income of M/s. EADS Deutschland GmbH arising as fees for technical services received pursuant to the agreement dated 22 June 2010 with the Government of India for consultancy on the Airborne Early Warning and Control System, connected with the security of India, shall not be included in computing the total income of the relevant previous year of that company under the Income-tax Act, by statutory notification.

Exemption for goods with a general licence under the Merchant Shipping Act now exempt from central excise duty.
The Government amends the principal Central Excise notification by inserting a new tariff entry exempting goods, within the specified tariff classification, for which a general licence under the Merchant Shipping Act has been granted by the Director General of Shipping, and specifies the excise duty rate as NIL.

Anti dumping duty on rubber chemicals imposed, with origin and exporter specific per unit rates and exchange conversion rules.
Anti dumping duty is imposed on rubber chemicals PX13, MOR and TDQ under specified Customs Tariff sub headings, applied according to origin, export country and named producer/exporter combinations as set out in the Table, with per metric tonne rates denominated in US dollars. Duties differ for identified producer/exporter pairs and other exporters. The levy applies for five years from Gazette publication, payable in Indian currency, with the exchange rate for conversion determined by Government notifications and the bill of entry date as the relevant date.

Commencement of amendment to section three of the Customs Tariff Act: provision brought into force by government notification.
The Central Government, under section 57 of the Finance Act, 2011, appointed the 1st day of August, 2011 as the date on which the provisions of that section shall come into force, making the amendment effected by that section in section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 effective from that date; Notification No. 53/2011 Customs (N.T), G.S.R. 583(E), dated 28 July 2011.

Preferential origin listing expanded: Cambodia added to ASEAN India origin schedule, affecting tariff preference applicability from August.
The Third Amendment Rules, 2011 insert S. No. 10 "The Kingdom of Cambodia" into Annexure IV of the Customs Tariff [Determination of Origin of Goods under the ASEAN India Preferential Trade Agreement] Rules, 2009. The amendment, issued under section 5(1) of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 as Notification No. 52/2011 Customs (N.T.), takes effect on 1 August 2011 and thereby includes Cambodia among the countries covered for origin determination under the ASEAN India preferential framework.

Research expenditure exemption granted to institute subject to audit, separate accounts, and certified donations statement.
Approval under section 35(1)(ii) recognizes Central Manufacturing Technology Institute, Bangalore as an eligible institution for funds applied to scientific research from assessment year 2011-12, subject to conditions: research must be conducted by faculty or enrolled students; separate books for research receipts and expenditures must be maintained and audited by a qualified accountant; the audit report and a certified statement of donations and amounts applied for research must be furnished to the income-tax authority by the return due date.